How to Choose a Humidifier?

Home humidifiers come with many benefits and it’s one of the best appliances to invest in your home. However, just like with buying any appliances for your home, choosing the right humidifier requires thorough research.

There are several different types of humidifiers in the market now and the options can get daunting especially if it’s your first time to buy one. So here’s a step-by-step guide to help you choose the right humidifier.

Warm or Cool Mist

When looking for the best humidifiers, you will most likely come across a warm mist and a cool mist humidifier. Warm mist works by heating the water in order to produce a steam. The biggest advantage of the warm mist over the cool mist is that the heat kills the bacteria on the water before it gets released into the air.

On the other hand, cool mist humidifiers release a room temperature mist and use less electricity. Deciding whether to go for warm or cool mist humidifier is largely based on your personal preference. However, if you like the idea of warming up the cold air with steam, then opt for the warm mist humidifier.

Ease of Cleaning and Maintenance

Another important factor to consider when choosing a humidifier is the manner in which the device is going to be cleaned. Cleaning your humidifier regularly is very important because breathing mist from moldy water can have devastating consequences on your health.

Choose the humidifier that is easy to clean and does not require a lot of maintenance. Generally, cleaning the humidifier simply requires removing the mildew and molds that might have gotten into the water tank. The misting outlets of the humidifier must also be checked in order to ensure that the moisture can flow freely into the air.

Most of the cool mist humidifiers have internal wick filter that can produce a soothing mist and creates a soothing mist that blankets the entire space. The wick filters also need to be replaced regularly. You can refer to the user manual of the humidifier to find out about the device’s maintenance and cleaning requirements.

Size of the Room to Humidify

Deciding whether you need to humidify a single room or the entire house is another important factor to think about when shopping for a humidifier. If you’re going to add moisture to a small or medium sized area like a bedroom or office space, you can opt for a tabletop humidifier. These humidifiers are lightweight and can be moved easily from one area to another.

Most of the portable humidifiers are also capable of operating up to 24 hours before the water needs to be refilled. These models also come with different features, such as multiple speeds, germ protection, built-in hygrometers, low water indicators, and many more.

If you wanted to humidify multiple rooms or perhaps your entire home, then whole house humidifiers are well suited for you. These are understandably bigger than the single room humidifier and are capable of delivering moisture to bigger spaces, even as large as 3,000 square feet. The unit is typically installed in a central location and is available in different designs and finishes, allowing the device to blend well with your home decor.

For offices and homes that require a significant amount of moisture, a flow-through humidifier is ideal. This humidifier works along with a central air system so you need to install it into your HVAC system and connect to your water line directly in order to continuously disperse moisture. The best thing about this type of humidifier is that it no longer needs to be refilled since water is directly drawn from your home’s water supply.

Sonic or Evaporative

The humidifiers are also available in either the sonic or evaporative model. Sonic models operate with the use of agitators, which vibrate at a super fast frequency, producing water molecules and creating a fine mist.

On the other hand, the evaporative models operate with the use of a fan that blows air towards a moist wick producing evaporation and increases humidity as a result. These two humidifier models come with its own pros and cons, although the sonic models are more popular than the evaporative mainly because it’s cheaper and does not require a lot of maintenance.

Noise Level

Just like with any mechanical device, humidifiers may produce some noise when operating. However, there are certain humidifiers that make less noise than the others. For places like home offices and nursery rooms that require quieter environment, the ultrasonic humidifier may be a great solution. These humidifiers come with a high-frequency sound wave that vibrates a metal diaphragm at varying ultrasonic frequencies, which produces a fine and soothing mist. Because the sound waves are higher than what we can hear, the ultrasonic humidifiers are quieter compared to other models of humidifiers.

Over Humidification Challenges

Over humidification is something that you need to avoid when using a humidifier for your home. Avoiding this will mainly depend on the manner in which you use your humidifier. If you are going to use the humidifier when you are at home during the day, then you can closely monitor the level of humidity and manually adjust the settings.

On the other hand, if you plan to use the humidifier when you’re away or when sleeping at night, then you may need to invest in a fully featured sonic model that comes with a self-regulating humidistat. Such model may be more expensive, but it’s really worth investing for since it’s capable of monitoring the ambient humidity of a space. Thus, it will immediately shut off once it reaches the desired level of humidity.

You can also choose an evaporative model of a humidifier. This device will not have the tendency to over humidify because of the natural characteristics of evaporation. However, this may come with a drawback since it requires replacement wicks for the entire lifetime of the device.

Hopefully, this guide can help you to choose the best humidifier to buy. Consider reading consumer reviews as well and weigh the pros and cons of each model or brand.